In the production of glass filaments, the newly drawn filaments are coated with a liquid sizing to coat and protect the individual filaments. The sizing is usually aqueous-based and is dried in an intermediate processing step. Historically, such strands of continuous filaments are helically wound into packages of wet strand which are subsequently dried or cured in an oven to remove a suitable amount of the moisture or solvent from the sizing material.
Attempts have been made to dry the strand as it is being collected at the winder, or prior thereto, to assist in drying the package to reduce the time spent in such ovens, or even obviate the need for the ovens. Such attempts have included the use of high frequency dielectric systems for drying the strand. The present invention provides a relatively simple, effective system for drying the advancing strand as it is being wound into a package.